Three additional Democrats announced their support of the Iran nuclear agreement on Tuesday, providing supporters with the 41 Senate votes they need to block a GOP resolution of disapproval just hours before debate is set to begin.
Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut all announced that they would support the nuclear agreement, which exchanges sanctions relief for a reduction in Iran’s nuclear capability.
The three additional “yes” votes appeared tepid, as the lawmakers expressed disappointment with the contents of the deal. “This agreement with the duplicitous and untrustworthy Iranian regime falls short of what I had envisioned, however I have decided the alternatives are even more dangerous.” Wyden said in a statement.
Peters said the deal does not go far enough to stop Iran from producing a nuclear weapon and could lead to a nuclear arms race in the region, but said he’ll vote for it anyway.
“This deal allows Iran, under the same leadership that refers to the United States as the Great Satan and calls for the destruction of Israel, to enrich uranium on its own soil,” Peters said in a statement. “This core concession is in many ways a stark departure from our country’s past non-proliferation policies, and it concerns me that this agreement could set a dangerous precedent as developing nations around the world look to nuclear power to meet their growing domestic demands for energy and electricity.”
But Peters said he’ll back the agreement despite his misgivings, in part because it will slow uranium production by Iran, “in the short term.”
The 41 votes means Democrats now have enough support to filibuster the resolution disapproving of the agreement. However, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier in the day that Democrats have offered not to filibuster the deal, and some Democrats have said they support holding a final vote on an issue this important.
But Reid also indicated that Democrats are pushing for a 60 vote threshold to pass the agreement, and said “everything of importance in the Senate requires 60 votes.” If 60 votes are needed in the end, Democrats already have the votes to prevent passage, since at least 41 will vote against passage.
Even if the disapproval resolution were to somehow pass the Senate, President Obama has said he will veto it, and there are not enough opponents to override that veto, which means the nuclear deal will survive.
